Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the Central African Republic face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

, but LGBT persons face stigmatization among the broader population. The Central African Republic was one of the few African states that signed a " joint statement on ending acts of violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity" at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

, condemning violence and discrimination against LGBT people.

Laws regarding same-sex sexual activity

Same-sex sexual activity is legal. However, according to the U.S. Department of State's 2012 human rights report,

The penal code criminalizes "public expression of love" between persons of the same sex is imprisonment for six months to two years or a fine of between 150,000 and 600,000 CFA francs ($300 and $1,200). When one of the participants is a child, the adult may be sentenced to two to five years' imprisonment or a fine of 100,000 to 800,000 CFA francs ($200 and $1,600); however, there were no reports that police arrested or detained persons
n 2012 N, or n, is the fourteenth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet# ...
under these provisions.

Recognition of same sex relationships

There is no legal recognition of

same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

. Same-sex marriage is constitutionally banned as marriage is defined in Article 7 of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

as "the union between one man and one woman ... Family and marriage are under the protection of the State."

Adoption and family planning

According to a website of the French government, single and married people are eligible to adopt children. The website does not say whether single LGBT people are disqualified or not.

Living conditions

The U.S. Department of State's 2012 Human Rights Report found that,

There were no reports of the government targeting gays and lesbians. However, societal discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons was entrenched, and many citizens attributed the existence of homosexuality to undue Western influence. There were no known organizations advocating or working on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender persons.

Summary table

References

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